Pit bull rescued from frozen river, reunited with owner

A lost pit bull, named Duke, was rescued from the Delaware River on Sunday and reunited with his owner.

According to WPVI, two Good Samaritans risked their own lives to save the dog that was stranded for several hours in the middle of the frozen river.

Duke was rescued by animal lovers Russ Miller and Ciro Silvestri. "I didn't think. I just went out there and got him. We had the canoe in case anything happens," said Miller.

The pit bull became stranded on Sunday afternoon and roamed between the New Jersey and Pennsylvania side of the river, before Miller and Silvestri went to get him. And even though the two felt that the ice could give way at any moment, they pushed a kayak out to Duke and made it back to land safely.

NBC News reported that the meteorologist said the temperature outside was between 17-23 degrees at that time.

Duke’s owner, Keonna Wilson, said he escaped after she let him out in the yard for a bathroom break.

"I just want to thank whoever did it. I thank you so much for risking your life for the safety of my dog and that he is okay and that the men are OK," she said.

Firefighters were called to the scene by phone calls about the dog, but the department said that they decided not to send anyone to grab the dog because the ice was not viewed as safe to cross.